Center gives hope to the homeless: Gathering brings out success stories, dreams for the future

CHICO — Apologizing for her tears, Jessica DePriest explained Thursday that the foster system failed her.

Her childhood was filled with physical and emotional abuse, blame for her mother's addiction, and her foster parents calling her worthless and nothing more than a statistic. Today, she's grateful to be another statistic — a success story of the Sixth Street Center for Youth.

Living on the streets with a crowd of other homeless youth, it was "against her better judgment," she said with a smile and eliciting laughter from the crowd, that she walked through the doors of Sixth Street one day.

There, DePriest found no one judged her and a caring staff worked to help her land a job and an apartment. Now, with a 11 2 year old daughter, the Sixth Street Center is helping DePriest ensure her little girl will have the life she never did.

Instead of judging the homeless, many of whom have stories just like her, she asks the community to realize hope exists within so many of them.

"A lot of people talk about getting homeless people out of the community," DePriest said. "Not a lot of people are asking how to help."

More than 40 people gathered at Sixth Street Center for Youth on Thursday night for what Program Manager Jennifer Barzey hopes will become an annual art show, poetry reading and open house. November is Runaway Homeless Youth Month, and Barzey wants to share success stories and recognize the many young people living couch to couch, in cars or under bridges as they look for work, go to school or try to negotiate life on their own.

"One of the misconceptions is a lot of youth choose to be on the street or there are a lot who are moving through the area," she said. "But many that we see were born here or have lived here for many years."

The center provides counseling, hot meals, resume assistance, school help and other support to youth ages 14 to 24, a pivotal age where staff has a good chance of making a difference, Barzey said. They serve about 300 youth a year, and last year helped 30 get off the street, another 30 get jobs and 18 people enroll in education.

As people strolled through the youth center Thursday, they paused to admire paintings, drawings and photos, all created by past and former clients.

Standing in front of four of her pieces, Lauren Barnett said had never painted until she started attending Butte College, where she realized how much she loved it.

"It's a way to escape," the 22-year-old said. "I get into it and I don't think about anything else."

Before she found Sixth Street, she and her girlfriend lived in a tent and then in a car. Now, they have their own apartment, where they baked 80 pink-frosted cupcakes to bring to Thursday's open house.

With her art work as the focal point as guests entered the center, Barnett said she was proud to display the paintings because it helps her give back. She wouldn't be where she is today were it not for Sixth Street.

"They offer a lot of things but you have to be self-motivated," she said. "It's a hand up, not a handout."

A little nervous and shy, even though she was in front of friends, Summer Nelson shared three pieces of her poetry that detailed the personal side of being homeless.

Another product of the foster system, Nelson, 23, had aged out without the skills or training to take on life on her own. With nowhere to turn, she ended up on the streets, forced into prostitution and battling methamphetamine and heroin addiction.

Then, she heard about Sixth Street.

Nelson has been clean since July and has all kinds of instruction to live independently. They've prepped her for job interviews, helped her learn how to cook, and taught her how to access services to take care of herself and her 21 2 year old.

"I'm ready to have a better life for my daughter, give her all the things I never had," she said. "Sixth Street is what helped me move forward."

Reach Ashley Gebb at 896-7768, agebb@chicoer.com or on Twitter @AshleyGebb.